Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2021 The Observer
It’s a tough time to be a debut novelist, with so many of the usual channels for promoting new writing suspended or curtailed. The
Observer’s pick of this year’s first novels will be published in a country whose bookshops are closed, and whose literary festivals have been postponed or made virtual. It therefore feels particularly important to celebrate these books, to make sure that they receive the profile and plaudits they deserve.
This is the eighth year in which the
New Review team has read through dozens of first novels, looking for books that leap out from the crowd, writers who speak with powerful, fresh voices. Our record is pretty good. Last year we were the first to champion Douglas Stuart’s
Deshani and Paige have been awarded for their fantastic writing skills TWO women from Merton are on their way to writing success after being announced as the winners of a top publishing programme. Spread the Word, London’s writer development agency, selected residents Deshani and Paige for the 2021 London Writers Awards. The London-based writers from communities currently under-represented in UK publishing – will be supported and nurtured through a ten-month development programme to pursue a career in writing. Over the course of ten months, Deshani and Paige will attend fortnightly critical feedback groups, participate in masterclasses, and receive bespoke development opportunities with editors, agents and the Spread the Word team.
Two Hackney residents among winners of the London Writers Awards 2021
By Hackney Citizen | Friday 22 January 2021 at 15:05
Award winners Carla Montemayor (left) and Elizabeth Chan.
Photographs: courtesy Spread the Word
Two local authors are set for a huge career boost after being named among the winners of the London Writers Awards 2021.
The scheme, run by talent agency Spread the Word, selects writers from diverse backgrounds for an intensive ten-month course that will help them refine their unpublished stories and make their first inroads into the industry.
Previous participants have gone on to sign book deals, and Hackney residents Carla Montemayor and Elizabeth Chan will be hoping for similar success after they were among the 30 people shortlisted from 257 entrants.
Published:
7:00 AM January 21, 2021
Updated:
9:42 AM January 21, 2021
Seven Kings writer Sukh Brar is among the 30 people selected for the 2021 London Writers Awards.
- Credit: Spread the Word
A writer from Seven Kings is among the winners of the London Writers Awards, which highlights under-represented voices in publishing.
Sukh Brar, 35, was listed among the 30 writers who have been selected from more than 250 submissions by Spread the Word, a write development agency.
Sukh Brar developed his passion as a writer after taking a sabbatical from his day job as a chemical engineer and has racked up a number of writing prizes since then.